This invention relates to kitchenware that is used in the production of fermented vegetable foods such as sauerkraut, pickles, and kimchi. Throughout this specification, the vegetable fermenting kitchenware will for convenience be referred to as a sauerkraut maker.
Prior art for devices used to ferment vegetable foods includes two designs currently being commercially produced and sold.
Fermenting crock pots comprise an open top ceramic pot with a round moat around the top opening, an inverted cup shaped cap that fits within the moat, and a weight (a glass “hockey puck” or rock) sized to fit within the pot center opening. To make sauerkraut, for example, cabbage is cut up, salted, and packed down into the pot. The weight is placed on top of the vegetables. Juice is drawn from the cabbage by a combination of osmosis and compression. If the drawn juice does not, by itself, cover the cabbage, water or brine is added. The crock moat is filled with water, and the cup shaped cap is placed in the moat to produce an airtight seal that allows gas to escape, bubbling through the water, but without allowing air to enter. The cabbage and liquid begin to ferment through the action of lactic acid-producing bacteria. The weight remains in the crock to keep the cabbage submerged. The cabbage and liquid ferment for a number of days, producing sauerkraut.
A disadvantage of fermenting crocks is that the weight or rock, due to practical size limitations, is typically not heavy enough to adequately compress the cabbage so that added weight must be piled on top. Another disadvantage is that, after fermentation is complete, the sauerkraut usually must be transferred to a secondary container for storage. Also, unless made of clear glass, the crock is opaque and the fermentation process cannot be observed.
A second type of sauerkraut maker comprises a glass Mason jar with a modified lid having a small central opening into which is fitted a siphon-like airlock. When fermentation is complete, the airlock cap is replaced with an ordinary jar top and the sauerkraut is ready for storage. A problem with the siphon airlock is that, when the fermenting material grows in volume due to the production of carbon dioxide, the small opening can become blocked and the un-vented pressure can cause the jar to burst. This product provides no means for pressing juice from the cabbage nor for submerging the cabbage. The resulting sauerkraut is often of inferior quality and un-submerged material is subject to attack by mold and other undesirable microorganisms.
Deficiencies of currently available systems are highlighted in the best selling book “Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation”, Michael Pollan, copyright 2013, published by the Penguin Group:
“The man who taught me to make sauerkraut is . . . possibly the most famous fermento (sic) in America. Sandor Katz . . . ”
“My first expedition into the wilds of the post-Pasteurian world came last summer, when I tested a few of Sandor Katz's pickling recipes at home. I decided to begin my education with vegetable ferments because they seemed the easiest and, which is important, the safest. No less an authority than Steinkraus had written that the safety record of fermented vegetables was very good even when “the foods are manufactured by people without training in microbiology or chemistry in unhygienic, contaminated environments.” (That would be me.) One USDA scientist went so far as to claim that there had never been a documented case of food-borne illness from eating fermented vegetables.
“Suitably reassured, I bought a case of quart sized Mason jars at the hardware store . . . I also ordered online a 7.5-liter German sauerkraut crock. The perimeter of this ceramic crock has a deep circular well into which the lid fits; filling this moat with an inch or two of water creates an airlock that prevents oxygen from getting in while allowing the carbon dioxide emitted during fermentation to bubble out. Note: I discovered when it arrived that 7.5 liters is a much bigger crock than anyone needs, unless you're planning to feed a small German village . . . ”
“Katz said the vegetables should be completely submerged, but invariably some insist on floating to the top, exposing themselves to oxygen—and the possibility of rot. I tried a variety of tricks to force them back underwater, including a saucer, some Ping-Pong balls, a plastic bag filled with pebbles, and some weighted grape leaves.” (end quote)
What is needed is a vegetable fermentation system that is light in weight, easy to use, adequately compresses the vegetables, holds the vegetables submerged during fermentation, provides a safe one-way valve that allows gases to escape but not enter, and is convenient for storage.
Accordingly, several advantages of some aspects of the invention are:
(a) to provide a sauerkraut maker that is easy to use;
(b) to provide a sauerkraut maker that produces a superior product;
(c) to provide a sauerkraut maker that compresses the vegetables firmly enough to effectively press out the juice;
(d) to provide a sauerkraut maker that keeps the vegetables submerged during fermentation;
(e) to provide a sauerkraut maker that safely maintains an anaerobic environment by releasing carbon dioxide while preventing the entry of oxygen;
(f) to provide a sauerkraut maker that is durable;
(g) to provide a sauerkraut maker that is easy to clean;
(h) to provide a sauerkraut maker that uses standard Mason jars suitable for storage;
(i) to provide a sauerkraut maker that is inexpensive to manufacture using a combination of off-the-shelf and easily fabricated parts;
(j) to provide a sauerkraut maker that can be manufactured from plastic, stainless steel, or glass;
(k) to provide a sauerkraut maker that requires no fasteners or adhesive and minimal assembly labor;
(l) to provide a sauerkraut maker that can be used to produce a variety of fermented foods such as yogurt (room temperature), kefir, hard cider, etc;
(m) to provide a sauerkraut maker that utilizes a lightweight mechanical press rather than a heavy gravity press.